In May, interior design and art history students traveled to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota to participate in the biannual Summer Intensive Program organized by Yelena McLane, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the School of Design, in partnership with the Ringling. This summer program began in 2018, and over eight years it has evolved into a robust curriculum focusing on design history and museum practices in activities hosted by numerous curators, educators, and architectural professionals—top experts in design and art history, historic preservation, exhibition curation, and art conservation.
“The Ringling program provided me with a wonderful experience that I will take with me throughout the rest of my education and career. The in-depth discussions and tours allowed me to explore a new side of design I hadn’t previously seen, such as the curatorial process and… decisions that bring each space together. The Ringling campus, taking inspiration from Venice and other European architecture and design, has given me a new perspective on how similar inspirations can be used for my own projects and adapted in new ways. Overall, this experience will forever inspire me and my designs, and I will never forget the motivation to design that I found here.”
-Lana A.
Among the many highlights, Prof. Chelsea Bruner from the Ringling College of Art and Design led students through a discussion on the architecture and design of Gilded Age America, followed by tour of the Ringling’s 100-year-old Mediterranean revival style mansion with Marissa Hershon, Curator of Ca’ d’Zan and Decorative Arts. The students learned about the Ringling’s remarkable decorative arts collection and the ongoing efforts that Hershon and her team are undertaking to research and sustainably preserve the structure and historic interior finishes and murals at the Ca’d’Zan. This year’s program also included tours of the Art Museum, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, the William Rupp Pavilion, a walk through the Center for Asian Art, and an excursion to the Ringling’s Art Conservation Lab.
“I enjoyed hearing from one of our tour guides, Melissa, about how busy she is as a curator. The tour of the glass pavilion and Ca’ d’Zan that Melissa gave us were very detailed, and I appreciate how in depth she went about several pieces in the exhibition. I also learned … how much a curator is typically balancing, such as grant writing, event organization, giving tours, cataloguing any pieces for future exhibitions, or pieces that need repair and writing, publishing and sometimes presenting other research. It made me realize how much I actually want to become a museum curator in the future.”
-Paulina S.
The students spent an afternoon with Jennifer Lemmer Posey, the Tibbals Curator of Circus, who detailed the Museum’s extensive circus archives and the history of the world’s largest model circus created by Howard C. Tibbals. The “Howard Bros.” Circus consists of more than 42,000 pieces and spans over 3,800 square feet in its current installation. The students enjoyed learning what it takes to design a space and visitor experience around such a unique collection.
“Getting to go behind the scenes was especially memorable. I loved visiting both the archives and the conservation center in which those were without a doubt my favorite parts of the experience. Seeing how the collections are preserved, studied, and cared for gave me a much deeper appreciation for the work that happens beyond the galleries.”
-Kayli L.
Sarasota is also known for its midcentury architecture, the practitioners of which became known as the Sarasota school. The students met Morris [Marty] Hylton III, the President of Architecture Sarasota, who provided insights into Sarasota’s modernist legacy and led tours of two iconic buildings—the Art Museum (formerly Sarasota High School, 1926) designed by M. Leo Elliott, and the Umbrella House (1953) designed by Paul Rudolph.
“I am so grateful to have spent such an amazing time at The Ringling. I left feeling inspired by the architecture, design, and art, as well as by how beautiful and well-preserved the campus is. I am definitely going back!”
-Himawary V. N.
The program ended with a visit to the Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, where students explored its extensive collections of architectural elements, stained glass, lighting, ceramics, and furniture from between 1890s and 1930s, including the objects designed by Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Sullivan.
“The experience of moving through spaces and engaging with art made the history feel incredibly vivid and meaningful. Thank you for such a thoughtfully curated and inspiring opportunity, and please extend my gratitude to all of the curators, staff, and guest speakers who made this experience so special.”
-Kayli L.